The invention relates generally to data processing system software and, more particularly, to device driver software.
Conventional data storage systems are configured with intelligent firmware to control attached system resources such as physical transport devices, e.g., network or storage buses. Typically, the system software must support different code for each of the devices and their drivers. When a new device and associated driver are added to the system, portions of the system software code must be modified, and the revised code tested and maintained, at significant cost and inconvenience to the system manufacturer.